Planets, moons and other objects and the origins of their names.

In this presentation I am going to look at the origins of the names of each of

the planets, moons and other objects in our Solar System.

Mercury: Mercury or Hermes messenger to the gods

VENUS: VENUS OR APHRODITE GODDESS OF BEAUTY AND LOVE.

MARS: MARS OR ARES THE ROMAN OR GREEK, GOD OF WAR.

Phobos is named after the Greek god Phobos, a figure that represents fear in Greek myth. Son of Ares/Mars.

Deimos is named after the Deimos, a figure that represents dread in Greek myth. A son of Mars/Ares.

JUPITER: JUPITER OR ZEUS KING OF THE GODS.

JUPITER HAS A TOTAL OF 63 CONFIRMED MOONS: IO: NAMED AFTER A PRIESTESS OF HERA, WHO BECAME A LOVER TO ZEUS. EUROPA IS NAMED AFTER A PHOENICIAN NOBLEWOMAN, WHO WAS COURTED BY ZEUS, BECAME QUEEN OF CRETE. GANYMEDE IS THE CUPBEARER TO THE GODS AND A LOVER TO ZEUS. CALLISTO IS A NYMPH OF ARTEMIS, WAS CHANGED INTO A BEAR, WHERE SHE AND HER SON ARE ALSO THE STARS URSA MAJOR AND URSA MINOR IS HER SON.

SATURN: THE ROMAN GOD SATURN OR THE GREEK GOD CRONUS, HE IS THE TITAN FATHER OF JUPITER/ZEUS.

Saturn has 62 known moons the largest are: Mimas the Son of Gaia (mother nature or mother earth). Enceladus a giant and son of Gaia, was disabled by a spear thrown by Athena in a war with the gods and the giants. Tethys is one of the titans. Dione named after the titan, one of the titan in Greek myth. Rhea named for the mother of the gods, wife of Cronus. Titan or Helios, Homer calls him Titan. He is the personification of the sun. Iapetus named after a titan in Greek myth.

URANUS: GREEK GOD OF THE SKY, FATHER OF CRONUS/SATURN AND GRANDFATHER OF ZEUS/JUPITER.

URANUS HAS 27 MOONS ALL OF WHICH ARE NAMED AFTER CHARACTERS IN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AND ALEXANDER POPE’S WORKS. INCLUDING BIANCA, JULIET, CUPID, BELINDA, PUCK, MIRANDA, ARIEL, TITANIA, OBERON, AND CALIBAN.

NEPTUNE: NEPTUNE NAMED AFTER THE ROMAN GOD OF THE SEAS OR THE GREEK GOD POSEIDON, BROTHER OF ZEUS AND SON OF SATURN/CRONUS.

NEPTUNE HAS 13 MOONS. THEY ARE NAMED AFTER MINOR WATER DEITIES IN GREEK MYTH. NAIAD, THALASSA, DESPINA, GALATEA, LARISSA, PROTEUS, TRITON, NEREID, HALIMEDE, SAO, LAOMEDEIA, PSAMATHE, AND NESO.

DWARF PLANETS

Ceres: the god of plantsPluto: Ruler of the underworld, in greek was known as Hades. Brother of Zeus/Jupiter and Neptune/Poseidon. Has three moons Charon (ferryman of the Dead), Nix (Greek goddess of darkness and night, Mother of Charon) and Hydra (was named after the 9 headed serpent that battled Hercules). Eris: named after the Greek goddress Eris who is the personification of Strife and discord. It was informally named Xena with its moon called Gabrielle. The moon would later be renamed Dysnomia, after the Greek goddess of lawlessness who was Eris’s daughter.\Haumea: is named after the patron goddess of the island of Hawai’i. Where it was discovered at. She is the goddess of fertility and childbirth. Has 2 moons Hi’iaka and Namaka, they are named after other Hawaiian goddesses. Makemake: was named Makemake after the creator of mankind and god of fertility in the mythos of the Rapanui, the native people of Easter Island. It has no moons.

Sedna: named after the Inuit goddess of the sea. This is the one of the most distant object in the solar system. Orcus: is named after the god of the dead in Etruscan and Roman Mythology. Quaoar: named after the Tongva creator god.

OTHER OBJECTS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM:

TYCHE: THIS GAS GIANT PLANET MAYBE LOCATED IN THE OORT CLOUD. NAMED AFTER THE GREEK GODDRESS OF FORTUNE AND PROSPERITY. IS THE GOOD SISTER OF NEMESIS. NEMESIS: GODDESS OF VENGEANCE AND RETRIBUTION THIS MAYBE A RED DWARF STAR, WHITE DWARF STAR OR BROWN DWARF THAT MAY ORBIT. NEMESIS IS BELIEVED TO BE THE REASON FOR THE CYCLE OF MASS EXTINCTIONS ON EARTH, SAYING THAT IT ORBITS AROUND THE SUN EVERY 26 MILLION YEARS THAT IT SENDS COMETS AT THE EARTH.

APOPHIS: A NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID. THIS IS THE GREEK NAME FOR THE EGYPTIAN GOD WHO WAS AN ENEMY OF RA (EGYPTIAN GOD OF THE SUN) ALSO KNOWN AS A DEMON.